Having seen what happens when the healthcare and insurance rackets are given a free hand (see Paddington's overview here), I remain in favour of a system where medical treatment is free (or at least, affordable by everyone) at the point of delivery.
But there needs to be some way of getting people to treat the National Health Service responsibly.
My dentist in the Seventies was an old hand who remembered the introduction of the NHS in 1948. At last common people could have free expert help with their dental and optical (anybody else remember the tell-tale NHS blue plastic spectacle frames?) problems.
One man came to him requiring dentures. The dentist took casts and sent them to the manufacturing lab. Then came the second appointment, to check with the patient that the plates fitted well.
The man was delighted: "These are the best of the lot!"
"What do you mean?"
The man held up a bag of "choppers", garnered from visiting every dentist in the area.
After all, it was a free service.
What rules should we have? What should be included in the offer, as of right, and what not?
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